Headlight



' June 2,

C. H. ALLEN ET AL HEADLIGHT Original Filed June 16, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1925- 1,540,234

C. H. ALLEN ET AL HEADLIGHT Original Filed June 16, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,540,234 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. ALLEN AND GLENN S. SOSEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS. TO THE ALLENLITE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HEADLIGHT.

Application filed June 16, 1922, Serial No. 568,774. Renewed November 15, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. ALLEN and GLENN S. SOSEMAN, citizens of the United States, and residents of. the city of Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Headlight; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a headlight, and particularly to a headlight which is pro vidcd with a compound reflector adapted to project light forwardly and outwardly and at the same time to avoid objectionable upward reflection.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a headlight having a compound reflector, the component portions of which are offset. i

It is another object of this invention to provide a headlight of the class described wherein the reflecting member is adjustable.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a headlight having means for permitting the emission of light in a transverse direction.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a headlight having a compound reflector and having a light source, the axis of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the casing.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a headlight having a compound reflector, a portion of which is adapted to reflect light downwardly and another portion of Which is adapted to reflect light substantially horizontally,'the li 'ht reflected from said reflectors being resolved to properly illuminate a surface over which the headlight is being moved. I

It is finally an important object of this invention to provide a headlight of the class described which may be economically manufactured and easily adjusted.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) is shown on the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through a headlight embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the headlight shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the support for the light source.

Figure 5 is a slightly enlarged section on the'line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure (3 is a front elevation of a slightly modified form of headlight embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 7 is an enlarged section on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Fi ure 9 is a slightly reduced section on the line 99 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of one of the reflector members.

As shown on the drawings:

In the embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the headlight supporting structure comprises 3. cylindrical member or casing l which has a substantially spherically formed portion 2 fixedly or removably attached to one end thereof in any suitable manner. The end of said cylindrical casing l opposite the spherically formed portion 2 is closed by a lens 3 which is formed of any suitable transparent material and which is retained between the outer end of the casing 1 and a flanged retaining ring 4 which is removably secured over the outer end of the casing and which has a suitable gasket 5 interposed between its inner face and the outer face of the transparent member 3. In order that said transparent member 3 may be resiliently retained in position adjacent the gasket 5 in the inner face of the flanged ring 4, a spring wire 6 is engaged inside the casing, said spring wire (5 having portions abutting the inner face of the transparent member 3 and other portions engaged under ears 7 which are struck inwardly from the cylindrical member 1.

Suitable lugs 8 are secured to each side of the cylindrical member or casing 1 and are adapted for engagement with the usual sup porting forks which are provided for mounting headlights on motor vehicles and the like. A support for a light source is afi'ordif desired said members may be secured together intermediate their ends by riveting or in any other suit-able manner. ()ppositely formed longitudinal grooves 9 and 10 in said members 9 and 10 afford a passage whereby an electrical conductor may be led into the light source which ordinarily comprises an incandescent light bulb 1:? which is mounted in a socket 13 which in turn is supported between outwardly formed portions 14 and i5 at the center oi the members 9 and 10. The inner surfaceoi' the cylindrical member 1 is not coated with any special reflecting material and formed in the side walls of said member at points substantially equidistant from the transparent member 3 with the light source 12 are apen tures which are closed by lenses lo and 17 re spectively, the aperture which is closed by the lens to being specially designed to allow of emission of light from the casing to illuminute a front license plate in cases where the headlight is used on a motor vehicle, and the. aperture which is closed by the lens 17 being designed to permit the emanation of light to illuminate the front portion of thevehicle and the immediate surface supporting the s me. Such auxiliary light eminating means add greatly to the usefulness of the headlight, especially when the same is used in connection with motor vehicles, and the practical use of these auxiliary apertures is made )ossible by the fact that the reflecting lnem ers do not extend into the forward portion of the headlight casing. It is of course understo'd that such apertures would not be needed for all conditions in which the headlight might be used and in such cases could be omitted.

The compound reflector unit which will now be described is mounted in the rear of the headlight casing substantially in the spherically formed portion 2. the reflector n'iembers being supported in the reflector support 18 which is provided at its forward end with an annular integral flange 19. the

forward edge of said flange being engaged in a groove formed in the rear edge of a block or supporting member 20 secured to the upper portion of the cylindrical memher 1 by riveting or other suitable means. The reflector support 18 is thus suspended inside the headlight casing from the block 20. and the lower portion thereof. is tric tionally held in position in the casing by means of a flat spring 21 which is engaged through an aperture in the flange l9 and the outer end of which slidingly and resiliently contacts the inner wall of the cylindrical member 1 at the lower portion thereof. Extending through the spherically formed portion 2 directly beneath the center thereof, is a shorttubular member 22 which extends into the interior of said member a suflieient distance to afford a guide for a helical spring 23 which is engaged therearound between the inner side of the spherically formed portion 2 and the rear face of the reflector su 'iport'l8. directly beneath a shelter oflset portion A which is formed in said reflector support In. Said tubular member 22 atl'ords an opening through which.electrical conductors may be introduced into the headlight casing; and the helical spring 3 which is engaged therearoulnl between the spherically formed portion 2 and the reflector support 18 acts to force the lower portion oi said reflector support 18 outwardly. This tendency to outward movement of the reflector support 18 is resisted and prevented by-nicans of an adjusting set screw 25 which is engaged through a threaded aperture in a bracket 26 secured to the bottom of the cylindrical member 1 on the inside of the cusing and the end of which contacts an upwardly formed lug 27 on the flange 19. From this construction it is of course apparent thatwhen said adjusting set screw 25 is rotated in one p sition. the reflector support 18 with the. l'cflcctors therein will have its lower portion moved 'lorwardly in the headlight casing and when said adjusting set screw is rotated in the opposite direction said lower portion of the reflector support 18 will of course be moved toward the'rear of the casing against the action of the helical spring 2; The reflectors comprising the compound reflector unit are spherical segments which are secured by cementing or otherwise to the front or concave face of the reflector support in above and below the shelf-or ofl'sct portion 24.

In the preferred lormxof this invent-ion. double curvature glass reflectors 28 and 29 of the well-known Manginatype are cniployed, but it is of course understood that these reflectors might be of the ordinary single curvature type without departing from the spirit of the present invention. As will be noted from anexamination of Figure 1. the axis of the light source is slightly below the axis of the headlight casing and is substantially on the axis oi the lower reflector segment :29 to cause'a reflected horizontal beam of light. The axis of the upper reflector 38 also passes through the light source but forms a downwardly directed beam of light due to the ofl'set angular position of the reflector. The light source is located atthe foci of the reflectors. The light reflected from the two reflectors is composed into a beam which because of the component from the reflector 29 extends forwardly for a great distance and because of the component from the reflector 28 is of extreme intensity for a considerable distance in front of the headlight. Such an arrangement makes the headlight particularly valuable for use on motor vehicles since the surface traveled over is illumi- Figures 6 to 9 illustrate a headlight con- I structed according to the principles of this invention wherein a modified form of casing or supporting member is employed and wherein the reflector units are permanently and rigidly positioned in the casing. The casing of the type ,illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 inclusive is constructed of a composition material such as vulcanite, commercial redmanol or a similar substance, and comprises a forward cylindrical portion 30 and an integral formed rear portion 31 having an offset shelf portion 32 corresponding to the shelf portion 24 shown in Figure 1 between the reflectors. The reflectors 33 and 34, similar to the reflectors 28 and 29, are secured in position in the rear of the head-' light casing by cementing the same to the concave faces of the member 31. Lugs or brackets secured to the sides cast integral with the sides .of. the casing 30 aflord means whereby the same may be supported on suitable headlight brackets. Lens-closed apertures 36 and 37 are formed in the easing 30 in positions correspoitding to the positions of the apertures which are closed by lenses 16 and 17 in the form of this invention previously described. A light source 38 is supported in the casingby means of a transverse.member 39 similar to the transverse light supporting structure hereinbefore described. and said light source is properly positioned relative to the reflectors 33 and 34 to attain a horizontal reflection from the lower reflector 3a and a downward and outward reflection from the upper reflector 33. l lngaging the outer end of the cylin drieal member 30 is a transparent member to which abuts a suitable gasket on 'the outer end of said cylindrical member and which is secured in position by a flanged ring 41 which in turn is secured to the casing 30 by means of a screw 42. By thus constructing the headlight casing of redmanol, bakeli te or vulcanite it is possible to obtain a light, durable andbeautifully finished headlight which is highly desirable for certain uses. The headlight provided by this invention is especially adapted for use on motor vehicles and as above indicated the component beam or shaft of light which is composed of the downwardly and outwardly directed rays from the reflectors 28 or 33, and the horizontal beam which is composed of the horizontally reflected rays from the reflector 29 or the reflector 34 combine to afford a compound beam or shaftof light which eflieiently illuminates the surface traveled over for a long distance ahead of the vehicle and which at the same time does not produce an objectionable glare. The adjustment for the reflector unit provided in the form of this invention disclosed in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive affords means whereby the light may be properly adjusted to attain a maximum efficiency and to provide for varying conditions in headlight mounting, in shapes and positionings of the light source.

The headlight of this invention may be economically manufactured, may ibe conveniently mounted on existing'types of motor vehicles and other standard headlight supports, and being outwardly of substan tially conventional appearance does not detract but rather adds to the appearance of the vehicle or other object on'which it is mounted.

We claim as our invention:

1. A headlight comprising a casing, two reflectors adjustablv mounted in the casing, said reflectors being positioned on opposite sides of a horizontal longitudinal plane taken through the casing, one of said reflectors being oflset rearwardly relative to the other reflector, a support extending transversely of the casing in front of said reflector members and below the axis of the easing, and a light source mounted on said suport. I

Q. A headlight comprising a casing, a reflector supporting member associated there-' with, said supporting member having two longitudinally ofl'set reflector receiving portions, a reflector member in each of said portions, one member positioned to project light rays horizontally and the other member positioned to project light rays downwardly, means for adjusting the position of said reflector supporting member relative to the casing, and a light source in the casing in front of said reflector members.

3. A headlight comprising acasing, a reflector supporting member associated therewith, said supporting member having two longitudinally oflset reflector receiving portions, a reflector member in each of said portions, one member positioned to project light rays horizonlauv and the other memsubscribed our names in the presence of two ber POSltlOllGd to pro ect hght rays d0wnsubsrrlhxng \ntnesses.

wardly, resilient means for positioning said CHARLES H. ALLEN.

reflector supporting members, and a light GLENN S. SOSEMAN. 5 source in the casing in front of said reflector Vitnesses:

members.

CARLTON HILL, In test lmony whereof, we have hereunto EARL M. HARDINE. 

